There's Always Dark Before A Sunrise

Chapter Four

Brecken walks out of his bedroom for the first time in days. Slowly he steps down the hallway and into the kitchen where he sees Eliza sitting over Shane's still body. Brecken's face contorts in anger and his fists whiten with rage. Of course, Shane has already gone back to heroin. No good son. Eliza sees her husband approaching, sees the anger on his face and in his fists. She rises to her feet and extends her arms in protest.

"Please, Brecken, leave him alone!" She says through tears.

Brecken slows for a moment, saying, "Out of my way."

"It's-it's not his fault. He, he can't not...please understand."

Shane groans, trying to lift his head and chest. Instead, it sends a pounding wave of nausea throughout his head.

Disgusted, Brecken looks at his son. "He killed her, Eliza," Brecken says through gritted teeth. "He killed her! Our daughter! My daughter! Who the hell does that? What kind of son does that?"

Tears begin to roll down Brecken's cheeks.

"He needs our help, Brecken!" Eliza cries angrily, "H-he needs us...you and I."

Slowly, Shane rises to his feet behind his mother.

"No," Brecken replies, "He should be dead." Brecken gaze drifts to Shane and yells, "You hear me, you should be dead! Not her! Not Mariah."

Brecken rushes forward, pushing Eliza out of the way. The breath is knocked from her as she slams against the kitchen counter. Brecken grabs the collar of Shane's hoodie and pulls him close.

"It should've been you," He says, his face a portrait of distraught rage, "It should've been you!"

Tears well up in Shane's eyes.

"You-you think I don't know that? You think I don't, don't feel that way myself?" Shane releases a shaky breath. "I h-hate my life, dammit and I know y-you hate it too."

"Damn right I hate you!"

Brecken throws Shane against the wall several feet behind him. Quickly Brecken steps forward and sends his fist flying towards his son. It connects with his cheek and jaw. Immediately Shane collapses to the floor, his lip split open and jaw throbbing. Without skipping a beat Brecken jumps on top of him. Shane's father lands another punch, then another and another. It doesn't take long for consciousness to leave Shane, but Brecken continues. The bruises and cuts on his knuckles feel good...the pain feels good.

"Gah!" Brecken screams through each blow that lands, "You were supposed to protect her! You were supposed to love her! You were supposed to be there for her! You we're supposed to be a fa-"

The punches slow. Brecken scrambles off his son and across the kitchen floor. He leans against a cupboard a couple of feet away. Shane's nose is completely bent to one side. Cuts cover his face, bright blood oozing from them. Brecken looks down at his bloodied and bruised hands. He hears the rustle of movement as Eliza crawls over to her son.

"H-he...h-he...isn't breathing," Eliza gasps.

Brecken's eyes snap up to Eliza and his face pales.

"What? No. I-I didn't."

"Satisfied? Satisfied you got your wish! Congratulations you killed our son, Brecken," Eliza spits.

"No, he-he can't be."

Brecken stumbles forward and checks for a pulse.

There is none.

Frantic, Brecken gets to his feet and strides across the kitchen where a defibrillator is stored alongside a first aid kit on the wall. He grabs it quickly and returns to his son. After charging it he presses the paddles against Shane's chest. Nothing. Once more Brecken tries. Nothing. The heroin in his system can't be helping either. Through teary eyes he looks to his wife terrified. The paddles drop from Brecken's hands and clatter to the floor.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm..."

Eliza looks over to her husband slowly and sees fear in his eyes all anger having subsided. Gradually she gets to her feet, then carefully paces to their knife set sitting on their counter beneath their spice cupboards. She reaches for one. The handle is cold against her warm skin, but she grips it tightly. Out of the corner of his eye, Brecken sees his wife grasping one of her sharp kitchen knives.

"What are you doing?" he asks, shifting his attention to her.

Eliza doesn't respond and instead continues her steady pace towards her husband. She can barely see him through her tears and red eyes. A scream escapes from her lips as she charges him. Brecken jumps to his feet and dives out of the way, slamming into their island. He whirls around to Eliza stepping towards him again. She swings her knife wildly. Brecken sidesteps the charge and grabs her wrist, from behind, which holds the knife. Quickly, he grabs the wrist of her other arm and pulls her close so her back presses against him.

"Drop the knife, you're trapped," Brecken says angrily.

Brecken squeezes his wife's wrist tightly until the knife drops from her hand. A cry of pain bursts from her lips.

"You say our son deserves to die, well now you're no better than him 'cause he is dead, and you did it!" Eliza screams.

Abruptly the sound of sirens pierce through their neighborhood and home, but the husband and wife don't hear them. Brecken kicks the dropped knife across the tiled floor before throwing Eliza to the ground. His face is a mix of anger, fear, and sadness.

"Shane killed our daughter! Are you forgetting that?" Brecken retorts, looking down upon his wife.

Eliza curls up on the floor shaking her head and buries her face in her hands.

"Mariah's just at school, she'll be back soon," Brecken's wife breathes quietly.

"Damn you! Enough with that. Our daughter is dead, and you know it. Admit it!" Brecken yells.

Suddenly, their front door bursts open and several officers pour into the front room. Brecken and Eliza's gaze whips over to the men through the kitchen, open living room, and entryway. The four officers fan out, their tasers drawn.

"Everyone face down on the ground!" the lead officer calls out.

As they near they see Shane's still body covered with blood on the floor.

"Reggie, call an ambulance," the lead officer tells one of his men gravely. He then looks to Brecken and Eliza.

"Alright, what's going on here? We got several calls from the neighbors about sounds of fighting coming from this house."

The officer's gaze drifts around the room. From Brecken's bloodied and bruised, possibly broken, knuckles to a knife laying on the tiles several meters away to Eliza curled up on the floor sobbing. Reggie rushes over to Shane to examine him.

"Dr. Northman, what have you done?" the lead officer, who is now only a few feet away from Brecken, asks.

Brecken casts his gaze to the floor, unable to answer. He recognizes the officer as the same officer who was first on the scene when Mariah was...What was his name? Kelly, Kelly Thurmond...yes, that's it.

Finally, Brecken replies.

"I killed my son."